Everyone can agree that this political season has been different. The candidates and their “win at all cost“ campaigns have unwittingly uncovered what has been lurking under the surface. It is what voters have known, but have been unable to put their fingers on or wrap their brains around - the feeling that there is
When patients understand that there is now a two tiered system of medicine. One driven by centralized, population based medicine underpinned by evidence based decisions that rest on the cost controlled good of the many vs individualized patient care based on the art and the science of medicine underpinned by health and wellness, they will choose us. That will be the beginning of the end of Obamacare. If we build it and let the patients know, they will come.
The King vs. Burwell decision has answered the question of who stands to gain in the age of Obamacare. Justice Roberts in his opinion said it best “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them.” With this decision medical insurance companies, hospitals and other pieces of the corporate healthcare delivery system now have the scale clearly tipped in their favor at the expense of doctors the patients – the mission has been accomplished.
Living in America is about having the freedom to choose and the right to have a difference of opinion, but using political doublespeak and ridicule in attempt to shut down opposing opinion and an honest debate is about control.
The announcement by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to move 50% of its non-managed care spending into Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and bundled payments coupled with the recent passage of Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (H.R.2) the repeal of the so called ‘doc fix’ will lead to the end of private healthcare, narrow the range of medical services offered by physicians, and increase the cost to patients and taxpayers. There are many truths about The Affordable Care Act that can no longer be denied: It is not affordable; it is not patient centered; it limits access to care; and it has not decreased medical costs. It will become obvious as the law continues to be implemented that It will lead to the end of the independent private physician. The days of the solo practitioner and small group practice are numbered.
Proponents of the Affordable Care Act are getting exactly what they wanted. They have declared victory because of the decrease in health care costs. What they fail to mention is the reason there has been a decrease is because people can't afford to use their insurance due to high out of pocket costs.
There are some troubling facts about the wave of immigration through the southern border that are coming to light despite efforts by the government to keep Americans in the dark. Those that have questions have been silenced using the usual tactics of cries of racism, selfishness, and lack of compassion. However, questions need to be asked because the health of Americans is potentially at risk.
The two tier system that is being created under the auspices of Obamacare can be broken by following the alternate path of free market medicine which is alive and well and thriving. By removing the insurance company and government middlemen, a patient will find that their costs will drop precipitously. They will once again have their choice of doctor, have the procedures they want, have a quality relationship with their doctor who will be able to spend time with them, and know what their costs are up front. The options are myriad. Each of these strategies provide an option that will give the patient true control of their health care dollar to spend in a system where there is true competition that is driven by innovation, customer service, collegiality and personal responsibility on the one hand instead of cronyism, control and coercion on the other.
The disastrous roll-out has certainly fed the argument of single payer and there is an argument to be made that the government bailout written into the bill has actually already ushered in single payer - since whoever controls the money controls the access and makes the rules.
It is no longer about the content of one's character. It is all about winning at all costs. How else can the blind and dogged devotion of Progressives to Obamacare be explained. The architects have admitted that the law is inherently unfair. It creates a two tiered system that benefits the wealthy and privileged friends and relegates the poor, the middle class and the disenfranchised to an inferior healthcare system devoid of quality doctors in which the 'unlucky' ones who can't afford it will be locked out of medical centers of excellence like Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and MD Anderson, stuck paying higher costs for medication, and paying more as if it is a privilege.